Locking bracket and cupholder for seat frame

ABSTRACT

A bracket is used for mounting onto the standard of a stadium or theater seat. The bracket can be bolted in place at the same time as seat backs are bolted onto the seat standard. The bracket has latches that permit a drink cupholder to be installed by sliding the cupholder along mating guides in one direction. The latches engage complementary latch portions on the drink cupholder to prevent removal of the drink cupholder. The drink cupholder has a wall that mates to the bracket, and includes skirt walls that cover the bolts used for attaching the bracket and the seat backs to the seat standard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drink cupholder on the seat standardor frame of stadium seats, which includes a separate mounting bracketthat can be preinstalled on the standard, before the seat backs are putinto place and using bolt holes that are also used for mounting the seatbacks in place. The mounting bracket can be installed, and later theseat backs can be installed. A separate drink cupholder is fitted intothe place on the mounting bracket as a final step and locks in positioncovering the bolts used for mounting the mounting bracket and sent backto prevent tampering.

In the prior art, drink container holders or drink cupholders have beenadvanced, and have become very popular in stadium seating for theaters,sports arenas and the like. The cupholders generally are mounted at therear of the seat backs, so that they are accessible and useable forpersons seated in the row behind the row of seats on which thecupholders are mounted. Also, separable mounting brackets and drinkcupholders have been shown in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No.5,813,644, illustrates such a cupholder. Improvements in the ease ofmounting, and the procedures for enabling one to install a mountingbracket at the time the seat standards are installed into the arena, andthen later adding the drink cupholders, while insuring that the drinkcupholders are secured in place is important. Tampering with drinkcupholders can be a problem, and the cupholder of the present inventioncovers the bolts that attach the mounting bracket to the seat standardwhen the drink cupholder is snapped into place. This construction willdiscourage, and essentially eliminate, removal of the brackets and thedrink cupholder.

The bracket and the drink cupholder can be molded out of suitableplastic materials, and provide an attractive, easily installed, andrelatively tamper proof assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mounting bracket and a drinkcupholder that are separately made, and which are installed on thestandards or frames for mounting the bracket stadium seats. The mountingbracket is adapted to snap into place on the arm support between a pairof seats. the mounting bracket extends to the rear of such standard.Molded or formed seat standards can have various curved shapes, and thepresent mounting bracket can easily be adapted to such curves forfitting into place, particularly along flanges at the rear of the seatstandard. The seat backs are installed on provided supports at the rearof the standard with suitable bolts. The same bolts are used forsecuring the mounting bracket in place, so the mounting brackets can bemounted and secured at the time the seat backs are installed.

The drink cupholder that attaches to the mounting bracket can beinstalled at a later time by sliding it onto a provided guide wall so itsnaps and latches in place. The drink cupholder is than non-removablyattached without utilizing special tools. Attaching the mounting bracketto the standard at the time of installing the seat backs, makes theinstallation process easier.

Since the drink cupholder can be installed at a later time, it is madeto shield the mounting bolts that are used for attaching the mountingbracket on the seat standard. Once the drink cup or drink cupholder hasbeen snapped into place, the mounting bolts are not accessible from therear but the drink cupholder is accessible to a person sitting in a seatrow behind the row of seats on which the drink cupholder is installed.

Different versions of drink cupholders can be installed on the samemounting bracket, depending on the use that is desired. Each drinkcupholder has a guide or slide that has recesses that mate with the lugson the mounting bracket.

The mounting bracket is easily molded, and the drink cupholders also aremolded so that they can be made rugged, in suitable colors, and withpleasing shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the typical seat standard having a drinkcupholder mounting bracket and drink cupholder installed thereon, withthe seat backs removed;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the standard of FIG. 1fragmentarily showing a seat back in dotted lines in position forillustrative purposes;

FIG. 3 is a rear end view of a mounting bracket;

FIG. 4 is a view of the end of the mounting bracket opposite from FIG.3, that would be installed on the seat standard;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing the drink cupholder latchedinto place on a mounting bracket;

FIG. 6 is a back side view of the drink cupholder showing thereceptacles that latch onto lugs on the mounting bracket;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentarily enlarged sectional view of the mating partsfor mounting the drink cupholder on the mounting bracket taken on line7—7 in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective front view of a modified view of the drinkcupholder shown installed on a bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in particular, a stadium seat standardindicated generally at 10 is for mounting seats in a conventional mannerin a stadium seating arrangement. The seats are not shown in detail, inthat they can be of any suitable design. The standard 10 includes a base12 that mounts onto a suitable support, such as a poured concrete floorof a stadium, and has frame uprights 14 at the front edge that curveupwardly to a top flange 16. The rear side of the standard has rearupright 18, with a mounting flange 20 that is used for mounting a seatback 22, as shown schematically in FIG. 2. The seat back 22 has suitablebrackets 28 that fit against the inner surface of the flange 20 inalignment with slots 24 on the mounting flange.

The flange 20 extends on opposite sides of a center panel 26, and thereis a slot 24 on each of the extending side portions of the flange 20.The flange 20 and panel 26 can be curved at the rear side, as desired,and the brackets 28 used for mounting the seat backs fit this curvature.

The top flange 16, extends on opposite sides of the center panel 26, asshown, and various openings 30, can be provided. The side portions 16Aand 16B of the top flange are used for supporting a mounting bracket 32for a drink cupholder 34 in a drink cupholder assembly 36.

The mounting bracket 32 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, andincludes a horizontal top wall 38 that rests above the flange 16, andhas snap on resilient latch fingers 40A and 40B on the two sides of thetop wall 38, respectively, that fit over edges of the side flanges 16Aand 16B of the top flange 16 on the seat standard.

The top wall 38 joins a support head 42 that is positioned at the rearside of the mounting bracket 32. The supported 42 in turn is joined to asupport wall 44 that is molded in two wall sections 44A and 44B, toconform to the upper portions of the flange 20 at a rear side of thestandard 10. The wall 44 is provided with bolt openings or slots 46 inthe lower support wall section 44B that is resting on a portion of theflange 20 carrying the slots 24 for the bolts 50 which are used formounting the seat backs 22, and which also are used for attaching themounting bracket 32 in position.

The support head 42 supports a generally planar upright track or wall 56that is joined to the support head 40 42 with a block or web 54. Thewall 56 has two latch lugs 58A and 58B formed thereon. The lugs 58A and58B taper outwardly in downward direction and form downwardly facingshoulder surfaces 60A and 60B, respectively. The planar wall 56 mateswith latch slide guides 62 at the back of the drink cupholder 34.

The back of the drink cupholder 34 has a pair of spaced side walls 61Aand 61B that have upper portions 65A and 65B extending laterally fromthe wall 63 forming the cup receiving cylinder a greater distance thanthe lower portions of the wall (see FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 in particular). Theupper portions 65A and 65B have inwardly turned flanges 64A and 64B thatfit over the side edges of the upright track or wall 56. When thecupholder 34 is to be installed on the mounting bracket 32, thecupholder 34 is raised above the wall 56 as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 5, so that the flanges 64A and 64B are to the front side of theedges of the wall 56, and then the cupholder 34 is slid downwardly andguided along wall 56.

The wall 33 of the cupholder 34 also has a pair of latch walls 66A and66B between the side walls 61A and 61B. The latch walls 66A and 66B havelatch recesses 67A and 67B which have upwardly facing shoulder surfacesthat lock under shoulders 60A and 60B of the lugs 58A and 58B forlocking the cupholder 34 in place. The latch walls 66A and 66B haveedges that will slide along the tapered surfaces of the lugs 58A and 58Brespectively, when the cupholder is moved downwardly in the directionindicated by the arrows 74. The lower ends of latch walls 66A and 66Bare tapered as shown in 70 in FIG. 5 to aid in assembly as the cupholderis slid into place. The flanges 64A and 64B will flex so that the latchwalls will ramp or slip over the lugs 58A and 58B on wall 56 upon theapplication of a reasonable amount of force in the direction of arrow74. The lugs 58A and 58B will snap into the latch recesses and thecupholder 34 is locked on the mounting bracket. The latch is a one-waylatch. The lower end of wall 44B has a center stop lug 75 that willprevent the cupholder 34 from being slid too far downwardly.

The cupholder 34 has side skirts 76 that are spaced apart enough andhave vertical length sufficient go over the ends of wall 44 and to coverthe bolts 50 on both sides of the bracket 32. The side skirts 76 shieldthe bolts 50 from removal at the rear of the standard 10 unless thecupholder is forced off. Generally, the removal of the cupholder 34 willcause destruction of the mounting bracket or the cupholder, unless aspecial tool is used for resiliently bending the walls 56 and 62 topermit the lugs 58A and 58B to be released from recesses 67A and 67B.

The cupholder 34, as shown, can be in different forms. As shown in FIG.1, the cupholder has a cup or container receptacle 80 formed bycylindrical wall 63 and also side pockets or receptacles 82 for holdingvarious items such as a small program, or other written materials, andcan have a receptacle 84 for a pen or pencil.

In FIG. 8, a modified version of the cupholder is shown at 90, installedon a mounted bracket 32. The cupholder 90 has side flanges or walls 92that extend laterally from the main body 93 of the attachment block. Theflanges 92 support rearwardly extending skirts 94 that cover the ends ofthe flange 20 on the standard, and the ends of the wall 44 of themounting bracket 32, to completely shield the bolts 50, and the mountingslots or openings. The cupholder or drink container holder 90 has areceptacle 96 that receives a cup. A top wall 98 is also provided. Themounting block 93 has guides, as shown in FIG. 7. The mounting blockalso includes latch receptacles to receive the lugs 58A and 58B.

The mounting bracket 32 can be used for various styles of cupholders, asshown. This makes the final design of the cupholder adaptable to theparticular installation that is desired. The cupholders do not have tobe installed until the end of construction of the stadium. The mountingbrackets themselves can be mounted at the time the standards are put inor when the seat backs are put into place.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A mounting bracket for supporting a drink cupholder to fit onto aseat standard, said seat standard having an upper armrest wall and arear facing wall, a the bracket for supporting said drink cupholderhaving a mounting wall supportable on the upper armrest wall of thestandard, and the bracket having a support wall extending on the rearside of the standard, said support wall having openings for receivingbolts used for connection with the standard, a guide wall for slidablyreceiving said drink cupholder when the drink cupholder is moved in afirst direction to a first portion of the guide wall having at least onelatch lug that mates with the drink cupholder to prevent removal of thedrink cupholder in a second direction opposite from the first direction.2. The bracket of claim 1 16, wherein said at least one latch lug has atapered ramp surfaces sloping outwardly from the support guide wall inthe first direction, and the at least one latch lug forming a shouldergenerally perpendicular to the support guide wall facing in the firstdirection to restrict removal of the drink cupholder.
 3. The bracket ofclaim 1 16, wherein said support wall has a central plane extendingalong a central plane of the seat standard, and said support wall haslaterally extending portions extending laterally of the central plane ofthe seat standard, the support wall having said opening or openings forbolts the fasteners on the laterally extending portions of the supportwall.
 4. The bracket of claim 1 16, wherein said standard upper armrestwall has lateral flanges on the sides thereof, and the mounting portionincludes flexible retainer clips on the mounting bracket for snappingonto the lateral flanges and retaining the mounting wall of the bracketon the an upper armrest wall of the seat standard.
 5. The bracket ofclaim 1 16, in combination with a the drink cupholder having areceptacle for holding a drink cup or container, the drink cupholderhaving a holder wall including a complimentary portion on the holderwall mating with and the at least one latch lug on the support guidewall of the bracket being mateable with the complimentary portion , anda complementary surface on the mating wall for engaging the latch lug onthe support wall to secure the cupholder relative to the bracket.
 6. Thecombination of claim 5, wherein a relative width or dimension of saiddrink cupholder wall extends laterally to overlie is sized to obscurethe fastener opening or openings on the support wall when the drinkcupholder is latched to the bracket.
 7. The combination of claim 5,wherein said holder wall of said drink cupholder conforms in acomplementary shape to at least one portion of the support wall of thebracket.
 8. The bracket of claim 1 16, wherein the support wall has alower part comprising a first wall section extending downwardly andrearwardly and a second wall section extending downwardly and forwardlyfrom the first wall section.
 9. The bracket of claim 8 16, wherein theguide wall of the mounting bracket has an upright track wall with isformed between lateral edges defining of a track , the first and secondsupport wall sections being wider laterally than the track wall, and theat least one latch lugs being is on the track guide wall along thetrack.
 10. The bracket of claim 9, wherein the drink cupholder is usedin combination with the bracket, the drink cupholder having attachmentwalls mating with the track wall, said drink cupholder wall havingspaced guides portions along opposite sides thereof for engagingslideable along the lateral edges of the track defined by the lateraledges of the track wall, and a recess on the drink cupholder including arecess which aligns with and receives the at least one latch lug on thetrack guide wall of the mounting bracket when the drink cupholder ismoved to receive slid along the track.
 11. A mounting bracket formounting a drink cupholder relative to fit onto a seat standard, theseat standard having an upper armrest wall and a rear wall on a rearside of the standard, the mounting bracket including a mounting wallsupportable on the upper armrest wall of the standard, and on the rearwall on the rear side of the standard, comprising at least one wedge lughaving a wedge surface sloped in a first direction on the rear wall,said rear wall having a latch portion of the mounting bracket that isdefined by generally vertical side edges, in combination with acupholder having a cupholder wall with and guides engaging the generallyvertical side edges of the rear wall to retain the cupholder on the rearwall, latch portion of the mounting bracket as the cupholder is slidalong the generally vertical side edges in the first direction and thecupholder wall having a surface formed to face and mate with the atleast one wedge lug on the rear wall latch portion of the mountingbracket as the cupholder is slid along the rear wall vertical side edgesto prevent removal of the cupholder in a second direction opposed to thefirst direction.
 12. The mounting bracket of claim 11, wherein there isthe bracket includes a stop lug on the rear wall latch portion of themounting bracket to prevent the cupholder from moving more than aselected amount when the cupholder is slid along the rear wall verticalside edges.
 13. The mounting bracket of claim 11, wherein the brackethas a mounting portion including a support wall with laterally extendingportions at a lower end of the support wall that extend outwardly fromthe rear wall, said laterally extending portions having openings forreceiving fasteners for to securing secure the mounting bracket to theseat standard.
 14. The mounting bracket of claim 13, wherein saidcupholder has a skirt portions that extend laterally outwardly beyondthe support wall laterally extending portions to shield the fasteners.15. A molded cupholder having a cupholder wall and a mounting portion,said mounting portion including a planar base wall having at least onewedge shaped latch having an inclined planar surface protrudingoutwardly from a plane surface of the planar base wall, and an outer endof the inclined planar surface forming a latch surface extendingsubstantially perpendicularly from and joining the planar base surface,the wedge shaped latch positioned to engage a mating wedge shaped latchon a bracket on a seat standard, the cupholder mounting portionincluding a pair of spaced side shield walls that are on opposite sidesof the base wall and extend outwardly from the plane surface, the spacedshield walls having inturned flanges at an outer end thereof forslidably receiving edges of a support wall on the bracket on the seatstandard, the latch surface of the wedge shaped latch on the base walland a similar latch surface on a mating wedge shaped latch engaging asthe side shield walls are slid along the support wall, and the sideshield walls, the support wall and base wall enclosing the wedge shapedlatch on the base wall and the mating wedge shaped latch.
 16. A mountingbracket for a drink cupholder to fit onto a seat standard, the bracketcomprising a mounting portion including a support wall having an openingor openings for receiving fasteners used for connection to the seatstandard and a guide wall having at least one latch lug and the drinkcupholder being slidable along the guide wall in a first direction sothat the at least one latch lug mates with the drink cupholder toprevent removal of the drink cupholder in a second direction differentfrom the first direction.
 17. A molded cupholder comprising a cupholderportion and a bracket mountable on a seat standard and the brackethaving at least one wedge shaped latch having an inclined planar surfaceprotruding outwardly from a surface of the bracket and the cupholderportion including a latch surface extending substantiallyperpendicularly to a holder wall to engage or interface with the wedgeshaped latch on the bracket, the cupholder portion including a pair ofspaced side shield walls that are on opposite sides of the holder walland extend outwardly from a surface of the holder wall, the spacedshield walls having inturned flanges at outer end thereof for slidablyreceiving edges of a guide wall on the bracket, the wedge shaped latchon the bracket and the latch surface on the cupholder engaging as theside shield walls are slid along the guide wall to restrict withdrawalof the cupholder portion from the bracket.
 18. The cupholder of claim 17wherein the bracket includes a mounting portion having a fasteneropening or openings.
 19. The cupholder of claim 18 wherein a dimensionor width of the cupholder portion obscures the fastener opening oropenings when the cupholder portion is latched to the bracket.
 20. Acupholder comprising: a mounting bracket mountable to a seat standardincluding at least one fastener opening; a cupholder portion having aholder receptacle; and a latching mechanism to releasably latch thecupholder portion to the mounting bracket by sliding the cupholderportion along the mounting bracket to engage the latching mechanism tolatch the cupholder portion to the mounting bracket to restrict removalof the cupholder portion from the mounting bracket wherein the cupholderportion is sized to obscure the at least one fastener opening when thecupholder portion is latched to the mounting bracket.
 21. A cupholdercomprising: a mounting bracket mountable to a seat standard; a cupholderportion having a holder receptacle; and a latching mechanism toreleasably latch the cupholder portion to the mounting bracket bysliding the cupholder portion along the mounting bracket to engage thelatching mechanism to latch the cupholder portion to the mountingbracket to restrict removal of the cupholder portion from the mountingbracket wherein the cupholder portion includes spaced guide or flangeportions slidable along a guide wall of the mounting bracket to engagethe latching mechanism.
 22. The cupholder of claim 21 wherein themounting bracket includes at least one fastener opening.
 23. A cupholdercomprising: a mounting bracket mountable to a seat standard including atleast one fastener opening; a cupholder portion having a holderreceptacle; and a latching mechanism to releasably latch the cupholderportion to the mounting bracket by sliding the cupholder portion alongthe mounting bracket to engage the latching mechanism to latch thecupholder portion to the mounting bracket to restrict removal of thecupholder portion from the mounting bracket wherein the latchingmechanism includes wedged shaped latch lug and a transverse surfaceorientated to engage the wedged shaped latch lug to restrict removal ofthe cupholder portion latched to the mounting bracket.
 24. A cupholdercomprising: a mounting bracket mountable to a seat standard; a cupholderportion having a holder receptacle; and a latching mechanism toreleasably latch the cupholder portion to the mounting bracket bysliding the cupholder portion along the mounting bracket to engage thelatching mechanism to latch the cupholder portion to the mountingbracket to restrict removal of the cupholder portion from the mountingbracket wherein the latching mechanism includes a portion which flexesas the cupholder portion is slid along the mounting bracket to engagethe latching mechanism.
 25. The cupholder of claim 24 wherein themounting bracket includes at least one fastener opening.